Dish-cleaner



W. O. MERRILL.

3 Shets-Sheet 1 DISHULEANER.

(No Model.)

Patented'June 25, 1.895;

\A/l'rnlassas (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' W.'0. MERRILL.

DISH CLEANER.

Patented June 25', 1895.

INVENTEIFK \A ITNEEEES (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

w. 0. MERRILL. DISH CLEANER. No. 541,490. Patented June 25, 1895.

"m: uqnms PETERS no. PHOTO-Limb" wnsnmo'rou. n :4

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

WILLIAM 0. MERRILL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DISH-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 541,493, dated June 25, 1895.

Application filed January 17, 1895. Serial No. 535,197. (No model.)

To all whom/it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM O. MERRILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dish-Washing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This is a machine, adapted especially for use in hotels and large establishments, or in connection with large families, forwashing dishes of different kinds, such as plates, cups, saucers, bowls, &c., and rinsingthe same; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, whereby sets or rows of revolving brushes are provided, between which plates or saucers may be introduced, and single revolving brushes, over and upon which cups or bowls or similar dishes may be held, said brushes revolving in a tank into which hot and cold,

water is introduced, another tank for rinsing purposes being employed, and the basket containing the washed dishes being immersed by foot power therein, and a draining platform making a part of the machine being added, such draining platform being reached by a suitable track upon which the rinsing basket is adapted to travel.

The nature of the invention in detail is fully described below, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my machine or apparatus, a portion of the driving-pulley.

being represented as broken out and the rinsing or draining basket being in the position assumed after it has emerged from the rinsing-tank and been pushed along the track in order that the water may drain off from the dishes. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus, a portion of the floor of the washingtank being represented as broken out in order to show the arrangement of gears for actuating the rotary brushes. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line at, Fig. 2, looking toward the left. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of one of the brushes, taken on line y, Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is avertical section of one of the brushes and of its actuating-gear and adjacent parts. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on line .2, Fig. 3.

Similar letters of' reference indicate corresponding parts.

Suitable legs a support a long tank which is divided into two compartments A and A. The sides B extend along both compartments or tanks, the tank A being inclosed by said sides B, and B andpartition B, and thetank A being inclosed by the said sides B, partition B, and end B.

O is a water-tight raised bottom for the tank A,'an(l beneatl1 this bottom is another bottom 0' at a suitable distance to allow space for the gears which actuate the brushes. This tank A, which is the washing tank, is provided with rows'of brushes, D set preferably, but not necessarily, vertically, and with the bristles extending radially at right angles with the axesof the brushes, so that a plate or substantially flat dish cannot be passed between the rows of brushes Dv without being affected by the bristles. These brushes are fixed upon shafts d (Fig. 4), whose lower ends extend through the upper floor O and are rigidly secured in. gears E whose hubs E are set in bushings e which are within the boxes 0" formed on and extending down from the under side of the'floor C. These gears, of which there isvone for each brush D, inter.- mesh as shown in Fig. 2, so thatwhen the first/gear wheel E, that is, the one to whichthe power is directly applied, is rotated toward the'left, the effect is to rotate all the gear wheels in the outer row toward the left and in the inner row toward the right, so that a dish placed between said rows from the left (see Fig. 2) would be carried by the bristles quickly between said rows and emerge at the right thereof. Motion is imparted tothe right hand outer brush, through the medium of. its gear wheel E, by means of a vertical shaft F-(see Fig. 3) which extends down from the hub E from said gear wheel through the lower end of the box 0, said shaft having 'fast upon it near its lower end the beveled gear wheel F which is engaged by the beveled gear wheel f fast on the driving shaft H which has its bearings in a sleeve G which is provided with a spline h extending into the weba' extending from the bottom 0, and is actuated by the driving pulley H. Another set of brushes D is provided, each being fast on a spindle D which is rotated by similar gear wheels E in exactly the same manner as the brushes D, the gear wheels which rotate the brushes D being engaged by the gear wheels which rotate the brushes D as shown in Fig. 2. These brushes D are of substantially the rounded or convex shape shown in Fig. 3, and are for washing out the insides of hollow dishes, such as cups or bowls. They may accordingly be made of dilterent diameters to suit the size of the dishes which they are intended to cleanse.

Hot water is supplied to the two tanks through the pipe I tothe two branches 1 and I, the former leading into the washing tank A,and the latter into the rinsing tank A. Cold water is supplied to .the two tanks through the pipe J to the two branches J and J, the-former of which leads to the wash-tank Aand the latter to the rinsing tank A. Sufficient water having been supplied to the washing-tank A, power is applied to the driving shaft H which, by means of the beveled gears fand F, rotates all the gear wheels Eand hence all the brushes D and D. As above stated, plates and other substantially flat dishes are inserted between the rows of brushes D, which, rotating inwardly and toward the right end of the tank, carry' said dishes between the rows of brushes and thoroughly cleanse them. The bowls, cups and other hollow dishes are cleansed by holding them down,over and upon the brushes D.

K is the pipe leading to the outlet pipe K, and K is the overflow.

L (Figs. 1 and 3) is a hollow vertical post or stem, open at its lower end, and supported by divergent arms Z extending'up from horizontal arms Z secured to the machine and extending preferably from the side B thereof. The upper end of the tubular post L opens into and has secured to it a horizontal tubular arm L, which, with the brace rod L, post L and supports Z Z, constitutes a crane.

Loose on the shaft 11 (Figs. 3 and 6) is a drum N which has integral with it one disk n of a clutch whose other disk at is fast on the driving shaft H. A sliding yoke P is held on the sleeve G by the spline h, and a horizontal projection P on said yoke is adapted to be engaged by the short arm R of the foot-lever R which is hinged at R to brackets or hangers 'r' secured to the machine, and is held normally raised by the spring on connecting said foot-lever with the machine. A rope or chain S extends from said drum up through the parts L L of the tubular crane, and thence to a ring S, from which cords S suspend the rinsing and draining basket T, made of any open material so that the water can pass freely through it. This basket T rests on a draining platform-car U which runs on rails U constituting a track, said rails extending from the upper edge of the sides B on opposite sides of the rinsing tank A to and on a platform W extending out from the machine, as shown.

After the dishes have been washed in the tank A, they are placed in the basket T, and when it is sufficiently filled, the basket is immersed, with its contents, in the rinsing tank A. By placing the foot on the lever B, the projection P is engaged and the sliding yoke P pushed along the sleeve G against the drum N with the efiect that the two parts of the clutch n n are brought into engagement, and the revolving shaft H quickly winds the rope S upon the drum N and lifts the basket T out of the rinsing tank, when by releasing the lever B, the clutch is disengaged and the basket may be placed on the car U and run off onto the platform W, and the dishes left there to drain.

I prefer to arrange the brushes D in the two rows alternately instead of coincidently or exactly opposite, in order that a better etfect may be had by the bristles on the dishes.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dish-washing machine, a plurality of rows or series of revolving brushes D set in a tank adapted to receive and hold water, said brushes in one series being so close to the brushes in the next series that a plate cannot be placed between them without being acted on thereby, substantially as described.

2. In a dish-washing machine, a plurality of rows or series of revolving brushes D set in a tank for holding water, the brushes in one row being set alternately with the brushes in the next row, that is, each brush in one row being opposite the space between two brushes in the next row, substantially as set forth.

3. In a dish-washing machine, a pair of rows of rotating brushes set in a tank for holding water, said brushes in the two rows being rotated toward each other or inwardly, so that a plate placed between the rows, will be impelled by the co-acting rotation of the brushes in the two rows in one direction, substantially as set forth.

4. In a dish-washing machine, the tubular crane consisting of theupright tube L, horizontal tube L suitably braced, the supports ZZ secured to the machine, the cord S extending through said crane, and the drum N on the driving shaft adapted to be placed in engagement with said shaft by a lever and clutch,

whereby the rinsing basket may be operated in the rinsing tank, substantially as described.

WVILLIAM O. MERRILL.

Witnesses:

J. SCHIFF, J. WRIGHT NASH.

IIO 

